It's all over but the backstitching, baby!!

Yeeeeehaaaw!!!! I've got 3 or 4 more evening sessions of backstitching to do then this one is in the bag! Score!! :)

The name looks a little like Owen is drooping on the right hand side, but if you look at the bottom of the stitches they are all on the same row (really... I swear). I think it's because the "n" is shorter than all the other letters. And, it's slightly off center. My bad, but by the time I realized it I had already completely stitched the outline of both names, and there was no way I was frogging it all. Besides... I've convinced myself it isn't really that noticeable. It looks like the names are too far up, but Paul's birth date will be stitched in underneath, so that will balance itself out in the end. There is supposed to be a checkery type of border around the whole thing, but I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do that part. We'll see. I probably will... I'm too much of a rule follower.

So! This chart has definitely knocked me down a time or two, but it has not knocked me out.

Haven't made a final decision yet as to what I will stitch next, but I have decided one thing - it will be small(ish). The next couple things I do probably will be. I'm thinking Diminutive Dutch (Carriage House Samplings) first, then another small one. We'll see. I noticed a real pattern as I looked through my stash the other night. For a woman that doesn't have a whole lot of stitchy time (not unless I stay up waaay past my bed time, that is), I sure tend to pick some seriously big projects. Yeh, just let me live on in my little delusionary world, k?

What else is going on... we finally got some sunshine after a week and a half (I think it really was that long) of non-stop rain. And we aren't talking the "Sunny, except for 45 minutes in the afternoon" sort of rain. No, this lasted pretty much all day every day. I know it actually rains more in May than April here, but sheesh! I never really understood why the suicide rate in Seattle (and other really rainy places) is higher than the national average... now I do! By the end I was really edgy. Really really edgy. My husband hid the knives. OK, no, he really didn't, but he would agree, I'm sure, that it was a dang good thing the sun finally came out! Leah and I tremendously enjoyed the weather this weekend. Playground, flowers, sunshine... aaaah. Doesn't get much better. Of course, now the rain is back, and so is the cold. Ah well. It can't last forever (however, if it goes on this way much longer I've got a little nugget of moolah set aside for some gopher wood - can I interest any of you ladies in joining me?).

Well, I hope all you fellow moms had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Well, I'm off now... oh... wait... ummmm... I should warn you all now... the next time I post I'm going to be needing some serious moral support from you ladies. You see, it's that time. The time of year when 9 agonizing months yawn before me with a toothy, scary, open maw of terror. I will be desolate. I will be depressed. I will wander around muttering nonsensical terms like "Faraday cage. What happened happened. Live together die alone." I will go find my happy place and curl into the fetal position and gaze blankly into space for disturbingly long periods of time.

**Right now, Robin's dear readers are concerned that an intervention may need to be staged, and are wondering what she can possibly expect them to be able to do about her seriously unstable mental condition**

OK, so it won't be quite that bad, however, I can nearly guarantee it will be about 50%... ok 10% as bad as the picture I painted above. What the H-E-double hockey sticks is she babbling about??

Lost's season finale is on Wednesday. It won't be back until February 2010. The Season 5 DVDs don't come out until December 8th. And, unfortunately for me, Lost doesn't have your typical season ending cliff hangers. Noooo. "Did they get married? Did she/he/it die?" Those sorts of cliffhangers aren't nearly cliff hangery enough for Lost's writers. No. Typically it goes something like this: The final Lost gong sounds. I stare blankly into space. For like an hour. Then I cry out something along the lines of "How the freak will there even be a show after that????" Aaaaaarrrgggh!!! I'd like to take a baseball bat to whomever came up with this scheme. Really. I mean. Ugh.

Yes, I realize this sounds totally pathetic (get a freakin' LIFE Robin, come on!!), but you must understand. Lost is the ONLY TV show I watch. At all. OK, so I watched something on HGTV last night while I folded a load of laundry. Does that really count?? I don't think so.

Anyway, bottom line... umm... I have no idea where I was going with that whole rant, lol! See? It's starting already.

Anyway, let me get off here before I get swallowed up into the pit of despair (a non-prize for anyone that can name the movie reference). If you've read this far, thanks!! You're a trooper! If you're not reading... well, for those folks I really don't need to type anything, now do I? :)

Thanks for reading, thanks SO MUCH for your comments, and until next time - happy stitching!!!

~Robin

Greetings!

Hi! Long time no chat, eh? (progress pic toward the bottom of this post) Let's see... what have I been up to in the nearly 3 weeks since I last posted... Not much out of the ordinary, really. Spring did finally arrive in my neck of the woods (although, with the amount of rain we've gotten the past few days and will get through the end of the week, I think I may need to start building an ark), so we spent lots of evenings and weekend days outside planting, walking, and just playing.

We've been getting little Roscoe acclimated to his new home, and things are going very well in that quarter. He has wholeheartedly taken to being around us (although he's not the most snuggly kitty, I can see that he wants to be and just isn't quite "there" yet), and desperately wants to be friends with and play with our older kitty, Midnight. Midnight is having none of it. Once in a while you can see a spark of interest (and not the killing kind) while he watches Roscoe play, but usually he curls himself up into a tight little ball and just stays well away from the little furball.

Our friend, Judi has a theory that it is because Roscoe has Giardia (well, he was on meds for 10 days, so he should be over that now) - when she introduced one of her cats to the household it was shunned by the others until the Giardia was cleared up. Makes sense to me... animals can certainly sense when there's something not right.

Let's see what else... my little Leah turned 4 today. It seems like yesterday that I was on a hospital bed writhing in pain for 24 hours straight (yes, I wanted to be SheRa and tried to forgo the meds. I made it 17 hours, then gave in - the nurses were like freakin' pushers, I swear! - I slept for 45 minutes then it wore off on one side of my body... while I was in transition. Then when that side was fixed I had about 5 minutes of relief until it abruptly quit working on the other side of my body... and so it went for the next 6 hours til I finally had the c-section). Anyway! Leah is 4... going on 16. :) She's sweet and defiant, teachable and headstrong, loving and bossy, polite and truculent, an unbelievably picky eater (unless you put sushi in front of her - then she goes Hoover), a budding fashionista (don't even get me started on trying to buy her new shoes... good Lord, I thought I had at least 5 or 6 years til those battles would start), a princess loving cutie pie who steals our hearts anew every day. She continually amazes me with how smart she is, and with some of the amazing things she points out to me with the questions she asks (scene: We're at a local nursery. Leah asks me "Mommy, why are there so many different plants?" I reply "Because God is very creative and wanted to give us lots of different things to look at" Leah replies "Wow! God is amaaazing! He's an artist!"), she consistently gives us sweet pictures of the unique wonder at the miracle of the world that is (to our detriment) the exclusive domain of children.

I was reading around the blogosphere and came across this post, and couldn't help the bittersweet pang I got when I thought of my own sweet girl reaching the milestone of prom, and high school graduation, and beginning to test her wings out in the wide wide world. Then I read Doris' post about her own sweet Rebekah and my heart broke into a thousand little pieces for her. Posts like both of those help me treasure my daughter even more than I already do - even when she's doing her level best to push me over the edge. :)

So, in honor of her birthday, I'm taking the opportunity to shamelessly brag on my kid. These are a few pictures I took while we were outside one evening last week.

OK! So, not a whole lot of actual progress has been made on Wheels - this is where I stopped last night (and as it is taking me forever to get of the 'puter it would appear this evening will end with little or no stitchy time):

Pathetic, really - I haven't even completed 4 vehicles in the past nearly 3 weeks. However, I am getting a second (ok, let's be honest - first) wind on this piece. I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like I have gotten a lot more done than I have, and it feels like there isn't nearly as much left to do as there actually is. So, I'm hoping for a finish within the next two weeks on this.

Then what will I do...??? Hmmm.... I have numerous charts shrieking my name... There's Mr. Abbott (companion to Mrs. Abbott), then there's Garden Cat by Birds of a Feather... or maybe one of their Seasons girls... or maybe one of my Carriage House charts... so many charts so little time! :)

Additionally, I just got a crap load of fat quarters and jelly rolls (and some patterns - of course) from The Fat Quarter Shop.com. Oh my - those fabrics are positively luscious and are also screaming my name... hmmm... multi tasking may be in my crafty future. :) Whatever I choose, I've decided I'm going to be selfish with my stitchy time for a while. This is my hobby, not my job - it's supposed to relax me, not stress me out, right?

Oh, by the way, it won't take me nearly so long to post again... hubby is going to find himself kerplunked right out of the computer chair if he keeps hogging the 'net the way he has been. ;)... Did I just say that out loud?

Anyway, thanks so much for your kind comments! I really appreciate and am so encouraged by them! Until next time, happy stitching!!

~Robin

Introducing Roscoe Balthazar Wright

Hi there everyone! Long time no blog, eh? Well, I have a super cute excuse - our new baby boy Roscoe. Here he is - looking all cute and regal...Leah & I had been begging for a kitten for a while (we were a two kitty family until my sweet Socrates passed away from CRF about two yrs ago at the age of 18... I got him as a wee babe and he gave me a lot of good years) and my anniversary gift was the agreement that I could go on the prowl. So, to Petfinder I went - and found this sweet boy at our local animal control center. Leah and I went Wednesday evening to meet him, then Ken went Thursday and turned in the application. We brought him home on Saturday morning and have been busy falling in love with and getting to know each other.

He is about 7 months old, and cute as can be. Still very playful and entertaining. We've sat playing with him for well over an hour w/o even realizing it. Our older cat, Midnight (yes, also black) isn't too sure if he wants to play with or get rid of the little pest*, but gets less and less pissy with Roscoe by the minute. I'm pretty sure they'll be chasing each other around and snuggling up together in no time.

So, anyway, preparing for the new boy kept me busy last week (I mean, we couldn't possibly bring a new baby home without buying a plethora of toys, kitty beds, new food, a super cute collar, brushes for that gorgeous coat, etc. etc.) and bonding with him has kept me happily busy this week.

I haven't put a single stitch into Wheels since my last post... partially b/c I've been busy loving up on our new boy, and partially b/c it is a serious mojo stealer.

So, although I could regale you with tales of some gorgeous things I've seen (my step mom was showing me some bee-autiful silk ribbon embroidery, and some sigh worthy things in a mag called Inspirations (ever seen it? It's ridiculously expensive - from Australia, I believe - and has seriously drool worthy embroidery - and an adorable thimble holder cross stitch pattern my SM copied for me - I think I might have to finagle my way into a subscription), and a super cool little gadget called a "Spinster" (which is used to really easily make perfect twisted decorative cording - for ornaments, pillows, etc. - out of simple DMC floss, and which I, of course, had to have immediately - thus a little hop to nordicneedle.com to buy it), I will restrain myself... uhh... wait... I didn't, did I? I just rambled on and on and on... with way too many parentheses and hyphens... sorry about that. :)

That's it for now. Hopefully next time I post I'll have a progress pic and maybe even a new start. Thanks so much for your comments and your birthday wishes! I so love hearing from my blogging cohorts. Happy stitching, and enjoy the rest of your week! ~Robin


*A special note for all you kitty owners out there - Don't worry. We are being very careful in introducing the boys - Roscoe stays in "his room" when we aren't home, and if he seems to be getting on Midnight's last nerve, we put him in there as well.

Remember Me?

Hi there! So, it's been a busy week... My birthday was Friday - got a lovely Vera Bradley bag that I will use to cart smaller projects around, a gift card to Sephora (which was promptly spent, thank you very much... if I ever got around to making a "Robin's Top 5 Favorite Stores" list that store would def. be #2), and my dh surprised me with dinner at the Melting Pot with a couple we are close friends with - Yummy!!! Saturday was a v. lazy day, then we met my dad, stepmom, brother & his gf for dinner. It was very nice. Sunday we went to see my MIL - she is doing SO much better!! Then Monday it was back to work and prepping for my anniversary (#8 - Wow the time goes by so fast, doesn't it??) which was Tuesday. I got the dh a really good fondue pot (an electric one w/ adjustable temperature and a ceramic insert so as not to scorch cheese and chocolate fondues). It was promptly put to good use - we made a cheese fondue for the appetizer, and a deelish broth which we used to cook some fab filet mignon.

The last time I stitched on Wheels was Monday evening. Here's where I am with it:

It seems to be going a bit more quickly this time (I suspect that is because I have abandoned the "backstitch as I go" plan)... but not as quickly as I'd like. :) Unfortunately, lunches in the past week have been spent running errands, so I haven't had a chance to start Mr. Abbott as yet. Hopefully next week - b/c I still have a couple days' worth of lunch time errands to run and only one free lunch hour to do it in... hmmm.

Now, I'm no tease, but I will say that in the next few days I will have an exciting announcement to make (well, exciting for my household, anyway). :)

OK... I'm going totally OT here... I just can't help myself - WARNING: If you are a viewer of the best show on TV (LOST - of course) and have not watched tonight's ep yet (entitled "Dead Is Dead") - Stop. Reading. Now. Come back after this para is over. O.M.G. I don't think I breathed for about 10 minutes after this ep was over. I may have actually passed out. I think this may go down as the best LOST ep ever... at the very least, the best ep since S1. Ben. Desmond. Smokey. Locke. Alex. Holy... I... He... It... I'm sorry... It seems I am still unable to put two coherent thoughts together in regards to tonight's ep. I just... wow. If you've never watched the show... start. Don't try to jump in this season... Netflix, beg, borrow or steal the DVDs in order, then join us for the final season next January. Trust me. It's amazing. This show is simply amazing - it's the smartest thing I've ever ever watched on TV (yeh, documentaries don't count, okay?)... the literary references, references to theories of physics, philosophy, religion. Phew. It's the sort of show you can watch "on the surface" and thoroughly enjoy, or you can be a total freak like me and visit DarkUFO to read recaps and theories from folks waaay smarter than I am. OK. I'm done. Sorry 'bout that, folks! Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Actually... I think that's about it for tonight. :) Thank you so much, ladies, for your lovely comments re: Mrs. Abbott!! It was like unwrapping my fave candy (Almond Roca, BTW) each time a new one popped up. Until next time... Happy stitching!! ~Robin

Mrs. Abbott is finished!!

Here she is! Yippee (picture me doing the afflicted Elaine [Seinfeld] dance)!!!! This is only my second finish of 2009 so even if I weren't as thrilled with the pattern as I am I'd still be excited. I finished her last night, and after taking the pic for this post, I actually put a few stitches into Wheels. I think what I am going to do while I work on Wheels is take Mr. Abbott to work with me and work on him during my lunch hour (on the days I stay in for lunch, that is), then work on Wheels in the evenings after the Munchkin goes to bed... that's the plan anyway.

Well, I hope you've all had a lovely start to the week and that you get lots of stitchy time in!

Til next time, Robin

Stash & Some Progress

Hello! How's everyone doing?

Since I seem to be a one project at a time kind of girl (I just can't seem to bring myself to do a daily or semi-daily rotation), I thought I'd mix it up a bit and show some of the stash I've acquired in the last few months... hopefully I'll have some fabric & fiber to show soon - my birthday is coming up so I'm hoping the hubby will let me go to the LNS (sans ma fille) I've been dying to visit but have been unable to get to.

At any rate, here it is... I've noticed something... although these were not all purchased at one time, I seem to have a marked preference for CHS. In fact, I really really love her designs. I'm not gonna go Kathy Bates on her or anything, but, well... you get what I'm saying! :) The images should be clickable... the one in the upper right hand corner of the 1st image is Flora and Fauna by Willow Hill Samplings. I also got Dorothy's Garden as a result of drooling all over Glenna's progress pics of that pattern.

Here's my progress with Mrs. Abbott.

I'm still loving this pattern, and cannot wait to get started on Mr. Abbott. I should be able to finish this in the next few days, I think, then it will be back to Wheels for Amy. Hopefully that will a go a bit more quickly than it seemed to when I worked on it last month.

Not much new going on... my MIL is doing much better. She has been moved to a "regular" room at the hospital. The doctor said we should anticipate her being there for another month, then we'll have to see how complete her recovery is before we make plans for any next steps.

Leah and I have been sick this week, but other than a lingering cough, we are both feeling much better.

Thanks for all of your comments and advice on my last post (Tanya, I haven't forgotten you - I just haven't sat down to type out an email - stay tuned!)!! :) I really am so glad to have joined this little community. It's great to have a place to chat about my little obsession with like minded individuals.

Until next time, happy stitching!! ~Robin

Mrs. Abbott, advice please, and etc.

My my time does fly by doesn't it?

Here is my progress with Mrs. Abbott since my last post:
I think she's coming along nicely... I am really enjoying this pattern. It isn't particularly difficult (not many color changes) and it is so small that every small amount of progress feels like a leap forward in terms of "percent complete". I can't wait to have them both done and framed gracing the walls of our bedroom... they won't take up much wall space but will really complement what we already have in there.

After Mrs. Abbott is complete I'll resume (and hopefully finish very shortly) the Wheels Announcement for Amy. I'm starting to feel guilty for neglecting it for so long! Then it will be on to Mr. Abbott, and some other projects as well... I've done a bit of stash enhancement recently and will share pics in my next post or so.

Now for the advice part - Any hints on making a "neater stitch" (is there anyone that rewinds and repeatedly plays the scene in the Gwyneth Paltrow Emma where she & Harriet are outside stitching and Emma tells Harriet "if you pull this way dear, you'll find it makes a neater stitch."... no? um, ok... I don't either... I've just heard some people do) when stitching with one strand of thread? I've been railroading when stitching with two strands for a while now and find my stitches to be pretty much uniform (I think) when using that method, but am having a harder time with just one strand (which is what I'm using w/ Mrs. Abbott). Tips? Thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

You've probably noticed that I've added a playlist since my last post (shamelessly copying Terri & Vonna here). My question to you - should it stay or should it go?

My MIL is doing a LOT better. She is still in the hospital, but they are talking about moving her to a "Regular" room this weekend. We are still cautious, but are definitely breathing a bit more easily, and are far more optimistic than we were a week ago.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks so much for your comments! It's like a special treat when I see a new one has popped up. I really appreciate the time you take out of your busy days to read my posts and comment.

Happy Stitching! ~Robin